Tractor.



ATTORIYE Y.

H. M. SWEET nucmn. APPLICATION HLED NOV. 5.1914.

Patented June 19, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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i N V N TOR. ,fpl/ra $22277 H. M. SWEET.

TRACTOR.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV-5,1914.

1,230,340. Patented June 19, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IVITNESSES: INVENTOR.

JTTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD M. SWEET, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY IVtESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO A. T HARROW TRACTOR COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

TRACTOR.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented June 1!), 1917.

Application filed November 5, 1914. Serial No. 870,362.

To all whom it may (101m urn lie it known that l, lIowAnn M. Qwmrr,

. [)etrrdt, eounty of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a eertain new and. use ful lmpri-ivement in 'lraetorspand deelare the following to he a full, elear, and exact leseriptionof the same, sueh. as will enahle others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, referenee heiug had to the aeeompany'ing drawings, whieh. form a part of this s1meifieation.

This invention relates to traetors operated hy gasolene motor partieuhwly adapted for farm use and in tlui hauling of loads and implements of various natures. An ohjeet of the invention is a simple and ellirient do viee for the purpose, eonnmratively inexpensive to mannfaetin-e and of sueh simplieity in operation that the unskilledindividual may readily heeome adept in its operiition. V

A further ohjeet of the invention is a device of the iz'haraeter stated in 'Whieh the weight of the apparatus is entirely earried hy the propelling wheels wherehy the greatest possihle trartion is seenred. These and further ohieets and the various novel fea tures of eonstruetion are hm'einafter morefully deserihed and elaimed and shown in the aeeompanying drawings in whieh Figure 1 is a side elevation of a traetor embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertieal seetion taken on line w u: of Fig. 'l.

Similar rlntraeters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings and speeiliration.

The deviee consists of.a. main frame 1. eomparatively narrow at the forward end supported hy the single steering wheel, and

" wide at the rear supported hy the two rear driving wheels 3 and i. Praetieally midway hetweenthe forward and rear wheels is a gasolene engine indmated at 5 carried on l a framework (3 su 'iported hy the. main frame.

The enginemay he of any well known type provided with a speed ehauging transmission devire usually mounted in a; ease indieated at 7. Although not showin it is to he understood that the transmission devire is provided with levers for operating the speed .'.el1ang1ng gears and eoulrolhng the engine operation whieh are now well known n he art. Thetransmission shaft extends from the ease 7 and is provided with a bevel gear s meshing with a similar gear 5) on the eounter-sha ft 10, rari'ied in hearings mounted in the frame and during operation of the engine and by manipulation of the change speed gears the shaft '10 may he made to rotate at various speeds and either'forwardor reverse as will he readily understood by those familiar with the operation of sueh devu-rs.

()n the rear of the main frame is mounted w-rtieal frame memhers ii and lid on which is supported a platform 13 shown more elearly' in Fig. l, and supported near the forward end of the main frame is a vertirally positioned yoke 14 seemed to the frame memhers l, and provided with a brace 15 attarhed near the upper end thereof hy a U shaped part it shown more elearly in Fig. 2. The lower end of the ln'aee is seeured to a eross-memher of the engine su ')porti11g frame as'mafy he seen in Fig. l. The hraeememher '15 is also provided with a hearing l7 at the upper end for supporting therdriw ing shaft 18, the rear end of whieh shaft is the shaft I'H. The two parts of the jaek-shaft are eaeh provided with sprocket wheels at the outer ends eonneeted hy sproeketchains 26 and '27, with the driving wheels 3 and 4 res uawtivel v, whieh wheels areloosely'lnounb edon the shaft 23. Rotation of the driving shaft 18 thus aetuates the two rear driving wheels under a ia-mdition allowing a difl'eiem tial movement thereof.

As thedrive-shaft 18 also drives the forward supporting wheel, the sproeket wheel 20 should he provided with. a. diil'erential gearing of any well known type operating hetween abutting portions of the shaft-18 whieh is formed in two parts for this purpose, so that the forward'and rear parts of the shaft 18 may he dilferentiallydriven to allow {or difl'eienee in diameter between the rear and forward wheels or difference in rotation thereof caused by variation in the surface traversed or otherwise. To support the shaft a vertical frame 71 is provided havin a bearing for the rear end of the forwar part of the shaft 18, the rear part of the shaft being supported in a bearing carried by the horizontal member 19,

The forward end of the drive shaft 18 is provided with a bevel gear 29 meshing with a similar gear 30 on a vertical shaft 31 mounted in bearings in both the yoke 14 and a similar yoke 32 situated within the yoke 14 and adapted to turn on the shaft 31. On the lower end of the shaft 31 is a bevel gear 33 meshing with a similar gear 34 on a horizontal shaft 35 carried in bearings in opposite arms of the yoke 32. At the lower ends of the yoke arms is secured a shaft 36 on which is rotatably mounted the forward driving and steering wheel 2 The upper horizontal shaft 35 is provided with a pair of oppositely positioned sprocket wheels 38 and 39 connected byrocket chains to the sprocket wheels 40 an 41 respectively, attached to the drivin wheel 2 and rotatable on the shaft 36. 0 reduce friction the sprocket wheels 40 and 41 and drive wheel2 may be provided with anti-friction bearings as lndicated in Fig. 3. The driving shaft 18 thus drives the rear wheels 3 and 4 as well as the forward propelling wheel 2 which is adapted to swivel in a horizontal plane to steer the apparatus, the connected chain of driving mechanism being adapted to drive the wheel 2 at whatever angle it may be positioned relative to the framework.

The inner yoke member v32, as before stated, swivels at the ripper end on the shaft 31 and to the lower end of the yoke member is secured a ring-shaped member 42 providing a bearing surface for a plurality of wheels43 positioned thereabout as shown in Fig. 2, and pivoted in a ring-shaped 'supporting member 44 secured to the main frame members 1. This arrangement allows the yoke member 32 and the driving wheel to be turned about a vertical center and holds the yoke in a vertical position relieving the sh aft 31 from strain which might otherwise be imposed. thereon by inequalities in the surface traversed. A thrust bearing 66 is interposed between the yoke members 14 and 32, which receives the weight of the forward art of the device and relieves the parts of riction.

At the upper end the' yoke member 32 has secured thereto a worm wheel 46 meshin with a worm 47 on the horizontal part 0 proper height to be easily operated from the platform 13. I

From the foregoing description it becomes evident that the engine and transmission devices control the operation of the tractor as to speed and direction of movement, and that the driving arrangement is such that all wheels supporting the device are positively driven whereby the entire weight of the tractor is utilized in traction and furthermore, although positively driven, the forward driving wheel may be rotated on a veltioal axis to guide the machine.

The rear platform 13 may be of any size desired for the transportation of goods and the rear end of the frame 1 may be also pro vided with a draft beam 54 for attachin various machines, wagons or thelike to the tractor whereby the 'device may be utilized in hauling. The engine shaft may also be provided with a belt wheel 55 and when the engine is made to run idle it may be employed in operation of other power operated machines such as ensilage cutters, threshers, etc.

The various levers for operation of the engine and of the speed changing mechanism should be positioned on the rear platform contiguous to the steering wheel 53 so that the entire device may be controlled and operated by a single individual.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is v 1. A tractor comprising a framework, front and rear driving units therefor, a

power plant, a shaft extending longitudishaft, a jack shaft at the rear of the machine, a differential gear group in the jack shaft driven by one part of the driving shaft, the rear driving unit being operated b the jack shaft and the front driving unit eing operatively connected with the other part of the driving shaft.

2. A tractor comprising a frame Work, a single forward and a air of rearwardly positioned supporting wiieels, a power plant carried by the frame work, a 'driving shaft of two parts in axial alinement extending longitudinally of the fraine work, the front part being operatively connected with the forward driving unit and the rear part connected with mechanism adapted to differentially drive the two rear driving wheels,

a differential gearing interposed between the two parts of the driving shaft, means eonnecting the power plant with the last named differential gearing, and means for turning the single forward Wheel about its vertical axis.

'3. A tractor comprising a frame work, a'

' positioned supporting wheels therefor,-a

' shaft extending longitudinally of the frame work formed of two parts in axial alinement the front part being operatively connected with the forward driving wheel, means'including a jack shaft for differentially driving the two rear wheels, said means being in geared relation with the rear part of the drivlng shaft, a differential gear group interposed between the two parts of the drive shaft, a power plant connected with said differential group, said forward wheel being arranged to be turned about a vertical axis, and means for turning said front Wheel.

4. A tractor comprisinga frame work, a

single forward and a pair of rearwardly positloned supporting wheels therefor, vertically positioned frame members extending upwardly at the front and rear of said frame work, a drive shaft extending longitudinally of the frame Work supported by the vertically positioned frame members,

said driving shaft being formed of two parts in axial alinement, a jack shaft supported by said rear vertical frame member, a difl'erential gear group interposed in said jack shaft, said gear group being operatively connected with the rear part of the driving shaft, a differential gear group interposed between adjacent ends of the drive shaft, a power plant operatively conncctedwith said last named differential gear group, the forward. part of the drive shaft being operatively connected with the forward supporting wheel, said forward sup orting wheel, being arranged to be turneda out a vertical axis, and means operable at will for'turnin'g said wheel. 7

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HOWARD M. SWEET. Witnesses: RICHARD ALsPAs, CHARLES E. WISNER. 

